There are a lot of ways to describe last week's deplorable 4-3 vote by Beaumont ISD trustees to restrict public comments, and none of them are good. But a key thing that the board majority doesn't understand is that it missed an opportunity to promote healing within the fractured district.

The trustees could have shown that they would be responsible instead of giving in to emotion or anger. They could have shown respect for this country's tradition of spirited debate about public issues. And in doing so, they would have deserved the respect of all Beaumont residents, regardless of how they feel about the school district.

Sadly, they did none of those things. They acted like authoritarian rulers in other countries who try to suppress dissent in the name of order and stability.

On top of everything, they approved a ban on signs at meetings that is clearly unconstitutional. How could the district's legal counsel not speak out against something like that?

Trustee Gwen Ambres summed up the dysfunction when she said, "We allow the public to attend, but it's not the public's meeting."

"Allow?" A public meeting is indeed for the benefit of the taxpayers involved, not their temporary representatives on the board.

If BISD trustees won't stand up for the rights of the district's taxpayers, someone else should, whether it's the courts or the Texas Education Agency.

In our democracy, voters aren't an annoyance to be put up with. They're the reason the whole system exists, and they must be respected in word and deed. That's not happening now in the BISD, and it's simply unacceptable.